Two Independent Contractors
by sanctum-c
Summary: The Adventurer takes a break and winds up meeting someone new.


The Adventurer watched the group walk past him to once again brave the sweltering heat of the mythril mines. The group had slain Chaugmar and Agnes had once more awoken the crystal. The Adventurer dithered, as he always dithered Airy directed Agnes to pray. He wanted to tell the truth, explain the problems with their course of action, expose Airy for her treachery. But it was never as simple as that. Without awakening the crystals, the world would continue to slide into ruin. And a more involved conversation ran the risk of his identity becoming known.

Tiz vanished around a turn in the path and the Adventurer heaved a sigh of relief. He slipped a hand into his jacket pocket and withdrew a leather-bound volume, worn, folded and battered. He flipped through the yellowing pages, eyes scanning down each until he found the relevant entry. It had been a laborious process transcribing this journal from one of Ringabel's but vital. The text specified every time they encountered him. They would next meet him in Hartschild. Or rather he would meet them again in Hartschild. Had already met them in Hartschild. They would be in Eternia in a few days, but that would not need him to rush. He only needed to ensure his presence on the Grand Ship before they entered the Holy pillar yet again.

The Adventurer glanced ahead, checking no one had decided to double back. If Tiz came back, if it was just Tiz, then maybe he would say something. He strained his ears; there was no sound over the sluggish flows of the lava and distant echoing movement. He was not coming back. The Adventurer turned to the rock wall beside him. To most observers there was nothing to see besides a barrier, but he had learnt to see the layer beyond it. His fingers hooked into tiny crevices, tugging on the rock as he turned his head to the right. The hidden dimensions aligned with the visible; a rocky tunnel now gaped in front of him. He stepped forward, the heat of the lava strewn mines fading away, replaced with a more bearable temperature. The corridor ahead was hewn from dark rock, all the surfaces rough and uneven. A noise ahead drew his attention; his faithful fox was running up to him in excitement.

"Are they still okay?" the fox asked.

The Adventurer paused to pat his companion on the head.

"Yeah. We need to restock on a few things though. And don't forget you're due on the Grand Ship shortly."

The fox sighed. "I know. Suppose I should get over there now, shouldn't I?"

The Adventurer smiled, realising after a moment that the fox could not see. He pulled his scarf away from his mouth. "Not necessarily; if you stop by Yulyana Needleworks first, you can head back here for a break."

The fox yipped, nuzzling his hand for a moment before darting away down the rocky corridor. The Adventurer followed at a slower pace, still overheated from the mines and looking forward to a rest. The twisting tunnel lead to a wider space; a hub of sorts. There was a large, low rock ahead, tunnels branching off in every direction, almost no walls left separating them. On the ground before each was a sigil. These had taken time to understand, but now he could read them without a second thought. Perching on the convenient rock, he took the chance to review the journal's entries once more. He removed his hat, revealing fluffy brown hair, running his fingers through it and letting cooler air touch his skin. With a sigh he shrugged off his heavy coat and settled back.

He was flipping through the journal again, checking and re-checking the entries when he heard a shuffling close by.

"Hello?" he called out.

"Choco-choco?" came the reply. The Adventurer sat up staring towards the source of the noise. He saw yellow, red and orange. He blinked. A woman was standing at the entrance of one of the tunnels he had never taken. She held a overflowing box against her hip and large feathers covered her, though covered was perhaps the wrong word. She was wearing little; reminiscent of the exotic outfits Edea and Agnes wore on some worlds. Except they had never worn something like this. "I never expected to meet someone else in here," she exclaimed, stamping her clawed feet as she spoke. Large stylized wings hid her arms.

The Adventurer scrambled to his feed. "Nor I."

They lapsed into silence for a moment before the stranger smiled. "My name's Chocolina."

"Ti-." He swallowed. "The... ah, Adventurer," he replied.

"Are you in the same line as business as me, Adventurer?" she asked

He was suspicious of the question, but felt silly. She spoke with an innocent earnestness. "What business is that?"

"Helping out some certain, special people. Anywhere and any-when." There as a glint in her eye as she said it, and the Adventurer understood. She was travelling time and space too.

He smiled. "Yeah. I guess I am."

Chocolina shuffled forward, depositing the box on the rock and sitting down beside it. "I'm just taking a break before I go to meet them again." She heaved a sigh. "I know I've got to help them, but it is tiring rushing around everywhere to be there in advance. You know?"

The Adventurer smiled and nodded. "Yeah. But you can't stop as you love them." He sat down beside her.

"Exactly," Chocolina said, preening. "Though maybe it's a little removed for me. Though I get to meet my family soon."

"You're not helping them currently?"

Chocolina shook her head. "I want to, but two others need my help more at the moment. How about you?"

The Adventurer smiled. "I'm helping my brother and his friends. He's having a tough time. He thinks... Well, it doesn't matter what he thinks."

"Mind if I ask how it happened?"

"How it happened?"

"How you wound up helping your brother?"

The Adventurer was silent for a moment, looking down to the ground. "I fell." He looked up and offered her a wan smile. "He tried to help me, but I slipped. If I hadn't; well, I don't think either of us would have lived." He shivered. "How about you?" he asked.

Chocolina nodded. "Afraid my story is a bit more fanciful. A god gave me human form."

The Adventurer looked to his right. "A god transformed you?"

Chocolina grinned. "Yup. Before I was just a cute little Chicobo, but after everything that lot went through I had to help them somehow. So I prayed to Etro and she changed me."

The Adventurer fell silent again for a moment, wanting to ask about Chicobos and Etro. He had never heard either term before. Where was Chocolina even from? He had been quiet too long and spoke up with a little too much haste. "A...f-fairy helped me," he admitted his tongue feeling thick.

"A fairy?"

"Yeah. She caught me as I fell, but it was already too late to get back to Tiz. She showed me the way in here and asked if I still wanted to help my brother."

"You ever going to let on that it's you?"

The Adventurer smiled. "I'd like to... It's just... hard to come out and say that. How about you?"

"Oh, I like to hint at who I am," she said, smiling. "Don't think either of them have the faintest idea. Actually I'm not sure I came up much in conversation before." Her pressed her knees against either side of her left wing and extracted her hand. She snaked it into her right sleeve and withdrew what looked like a bordered pane of glass with shifting writing upon it. Chocolina looked at his confused expression and explained. "I use this to keep track of where and when I run into them."

The shifting text entranced the Adventurer, but he shook himself and held up the battered journal. "Same."

"You're hand-writing it?" She exclaimed, gaping at the tatty volume. "My wrist would cramp up. Though I'm totally out of practice. Also I don't like taking these off." She wafted her remaining wing through the air to emphasise.

"No, I can see them being a pain to keep putting back on."

Chocolina smirked, opening her mouth to say something when there was a odd chirp in the air. The Adventurer glanced around for the creature that uttered the tone. He found nothing and to his surprise saw Chocolina instead looking down at her glass. "Break time's over. I gotta go meet them again." She pushed herself upright, tucking the glass into her sleeve and shoving her arm back into its wing. Picking up her box of supplies she turned back to him. "Good bye for now, Adventurer. If we run into each other again you have to tell me your real name. And I'll hope you've talked to your brother by then."

The Adventurer smiled. "I'll try. Hope to see you around, Chocolina."

With a final winged wave, she turned and disappeared into one of the tunnels. The Adventurer watched her walk away before re-checking the journal. It was about time for him to move on too. Was Chocolina also shifting worlds like him, or was she only connected to this time? He could not pretend to understand the ins and outs of the situation he found himself in, but it had been nice to meet someone new. Brief as it was.

The Adventurer pulled on his thick red coat and wrapped the scarf over his mouth, hiding any hint of familial resemblance. He pulled the hat down to just above his eyes and with another check of the journal began walking down the passage-way. Soon he would once again meet Airy, Ringabel, Edea, Agnes and Tiz.


End file.
